Mr Murphy also called for the introduction of dedicated routes for longer, heavier vehicles to make best use of the new national road network and help build national competitiveness.Mr Murphy wasspeaking at the inaugural Presidential address of the Institute in the Shelbourne Hotel this evening.**

Mr Murphy commented, “The transport and logistics sector hasan important role to play in efforts towards national economic recovery. We are a vital part of the supply chain, and given our geographic location an efficient logistics and transport sector is fundamentally important to the smooth operation of our economy.

“We fully understand that we are in a new era where we must make best use of existing transport infrastructure rather than call for new developments that we cannot afford now or in the foreseeable future. This wasrecognised in our Institute’s own review of the Transport 21 package that we undertook last year and which identified a number of key areasto priorities.

“However, there is still need for some improvements to be made. That is why I wholeheartedly support the development of the Dart rail link toDublinAirportasan example of a transport project that does not try to reinvent the wheel, rather provides a simple and affordable solution to an existing transport need.

“In addition, now that we have a greatly expanded and improved road networkasa legacy of the Celtic Tiger years, I would also call for the introduction of dedicated routes for longer heavier goods vehicles between major towns and cities. These will encourage the distribution systems and would improve our business competitiveness. They would also reduce distribution costs and lower greenhouse gasemissions.

“Solutions suchasthese must be identifiedaswe seek to do more with less. Our Institute is ready to work with the Government in using our expertise on behalf of the transport and logistics sector in helping identify solutions that work for all of us.”

Minister Varadkar confirmed that the capital funding will be used to:

• Install wi-fi internet access on Bus Éireann main commuter and city services;
• ‘Real-time’ displays at eight bus stations aroundIreland, to provide up-to-the-minute service information;
• Upgrade 10 double decker buses inCorkandGalway, increasing capacity in these cities in the process;
• Refurbish 20 city buses inCork, Limerick, Galway andWaterford;
• Upgrade or replace 25 new bus shelters on commuter routes.

“This is an important investment in Bus Éireann. I am pleased that in these difficult times for the economy, it’s possible to continue to invest strategically in the national bus company.

“These investments will bring tangible benefits for passengers and will help Bus Éireann to continue providing a high standard of service. The upgraded coaches will improve passenger experiences, and the provision of new wi-fi services will allow Bus Éireann to remain competitive.

“The real-time passenger information signs will also help Bus Éireann competitively, while bringing a direct benefit to passengers. And it’s a particular pleasure to provide new or upgraded bus shelters for passengers, in areaswhich have long sought these facilities.” ]]> http://www.oconnorcoaches.com/e1-1m-bus-eireann-upgrade-announced-by-minister-varadkar/feed/ 0 http://www.oconnorcoaches.com/minister-varadkar-welcomes-new-route-fromdublin-to-washington/ http://www.oconnorcoaches.com/minister-varadkar-welcomes-new-route-fromdublin-to-washington/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:15:16 +0000 Jonathon http://www.oconnorcoaches.com/?p=453 Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has today (Tuesday) welcomed the decision by American carrier United Continental to open a new daily route from Dublin to Washington Dulles Airport from June 2012.

“This is great news for Irish tourism as well as for Irish passengers, for Dublin Airport and for the wider economy. It will also have clear benefits for business and political links with the US, and is a very welcome development in terms of improvingIreland’s connectivity with theUnited States.

“The new route will provide a new stimulus for tourism from the US, which remains one of our key markets for inward tourism. It will help us to build on the strong performance in visit numbers from North America, which are up over 12% so far in 2011.

“The new route will also be included in the Government’s €9 million winter marketing programme which is currently underway, overseen by Tourism Ireland.

“The route will provide greater ease of access to Ireland for business and leisure travellers from the Washington metropolitan area, an important target market for Irish tourism, as well as providing a hub for travellers from the east coast of theUnited Statesand beyond.

“United will fly from Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport to Washington’s Dulles International Airport, which is one of its east coast hubs, and to more than 80 onward connecting destinations. The new service will be significant in developing stronger trade links with these regions.

“I am especially pleased to see such a significant service operating out of Terminal 2. I hope it will prove an incentive for other airlines, operating from other destinations, to open up new services to Dublin. I would like to wish United Continental every success with this route.”

idha-Online is a web-based system to handle information from digital tachographs and driver cards, idha-Online offers easy to use evaluation, secure storage, and automatic drivers’ hour validation. The drivers’ hour validation is the intelligent analyzer software developed by Bitsmith AB. Storage and evaluation is done with a common web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Safari Etc.). The tachograph files are uploaded to a secure server for co-location storage and frequent backup.

idha-Online is a multi-user system that allow different responsibilities to be easily assigned to different users; an operator can be assigned responsibility for a group of vehicles, drivers can be given a login to upload files from their own driver cards to the system Etc.

From 3 January 2012, larger vans and minibuses will need to meet the Euro 3 emissions standard for particulate matter and lorries, buses and coaches will need to meet Euro IV.

What are my options?

If your vehicle doesn’t meet the emissions standards, there are a number of things you can do. Some options can take up to three months to complete, so act now.

Galway City Council in Ireland has awarded Elmore Group a €1.26m contract to install a high-tech computerised traffic control system in the city.

The company will set up an Urban Traffic Control Centre at City Hall that will link up with the city’s 32 traffic light-controlled junctions and synchronise their operation based on traffic flow and demand.

Over the next six months, Elmore Group, in partnership with traffic signal production company Swarco, will install traffic lights in 27 intersections.

Work will be carried out at the Dublin Road corridor, the N6 corridor, the Seamus Quirke Road, Fr Griffin Road and Monivea Road, which will be joined with the control centre by June 2012.

The new EC regulation 1266/2009 entered into force on 1st October this year.  EUR-Lex access to European Union Law

Changes to the previous specifications include greater resistance to heat and light and that printouts remain stable for a minimum of two years.

Our TachPro Digital Tachograph Rolls are already manufactured from a grade of paper which far exceeds these new regulations and has an archive life of five years!

Our experience in this field is second to none so if you’d like to know more about this or any of our TachPro range of products, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.

Proposals by the National Transport Authority (NTA) to charge motorists for bringing their cars into cities to ease gridlock have been shot down by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar.

The Government has ruled out charging motorists to bring their cars into cities despite a warning by the NTA that a daily toll was needed to prevent gridlock from worsening over the coming years.

The NTA said that unless a ‘road use charging scheme’ — or a congestion charge — was introduced by 2020, cities would grind to a halt.

In a strategy document, the agency charged with delivering public transport services in the capital warned that traffic volumes would increase over the coming years, leading to longer delays for commuters.

Only by charging motorists a fee to drive into the city would they switch to bus and rail services, it said.

But the recommendations were immediately rejected by Mr Varadkar. Cities with a congestion charge in place — including Oslo and London — already had a high quality public transport system which offered commuters an alternative, he told the Irish Independent.

“Irish cities are not currently able to provide such an extensive public transport alternative,” he said.

“Alternative travel options should be in place before any congestion charging scheme is introduced. Although the Government is committed to promoting sustainable transport and encouraging far greater use of public transport to ease congestion, congestion charging is not currently being promoted,” he added.

The NTA was set up in 2009 and is responsible for transport planning in the greater Dublin area, which includes Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. It also licences bus services nationally and is in charge of taxi regulation.

Its transport strategy for the next 20 years, called ’2030 Vision’, warns that traffic volumes will increase, leading to longer delays, and that a congestion charge is needed to reduce car commuting levels to just 45pc of all journeys.

The strategy also sets out what transport services are needed up to 2030. Among its recommendations are:

?More parts of Dublin and large towns to be subjected to 30kmh speed limits. The controversial measure is already in place in some parts of the capital.

?Restrictions on parking in town and city centres.

?Delivery of the Metro and Luas extensions — but it acknowledges that investment in these schemes will be “significantly curtailed” in the coming years.

?More dedicated bus lanes, with ticket machines to be installed at busy stops. Cheaper fares at off-peak times should be introduced.

?An expansion of the free Dublin bikes scheme, and more dedicated cycle lanes.

The NTA said that half of Dublin’s residents of driving age did not own a car and that public transport services should take priority on the roads.

But it criticised the existing public transport system for being overly complex and difficult to use. It said that changes needed to be made to fare structures to make the system more attractive.

“Simplifying ticketing and fare structures across the entire public transport network is essential to make public transport more attractive to users,” it said.

The World Tourism Organization predicts that Chinese outbound travel will reach 100 million by 2020.  In 2010 54 million Chinese tourists will travel the world. Predictions are that outbound Chinese tourism will increase 10% – 12% – the only major global market that will experience outbound growth in 2010!  Chinese tourists are the largest tourism group in Asia and the biggest spenders.  Chinese international tourists to Europe and North America are the fastest growing tourism segment.

The Time Has Come For You To Get Ready!

v  The 2011 China International Travel Agents And Tour Operators Directory offers you the most detailed and comprehensive listings of over 800 international travel buyers, tour operators and travel agents licensed to do business with you in China.  Over 800 pages of detailed company listings, including contact details and a profile of each business, a summary analysis of each company’s inbound and outbound focus, as well as geographic distribution and type of travel.  These travel companies are your key partners in China.  This directory is a must-have for any travel professional doing or wanting to do business in China.

v  The 2011 Directory was compiled by our in-house research staff.  i2i Group China has been a China outbound tourism consultant, representative services firm, offering market research, sales, marketing and financial services to global destinations and travel groups wishing to tap the Chinese outbound travel market.  In the course of our work, we do business with all outbound travel buyers in China, which has given us a unique opportunity to develop this comprehensive directory.  These names, and contact details are all verified by our firm, sales and research staff.

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